Image: LotusFive years ago, a wave of announcements swept through the automotive industry: brands such as Volvo, Jaguar and Lotus unveiled plans to become pure electric vehicle manufacturers. In April 2021, the Geely subsidiary announced that the Emira would become Lotus’s last sports car with an internal combustion engine and that the company would sell only battery-electric vehicles from 2028 onwards. However, most manufacturers later abandoned their ambitious electric-only targets as demand failed to grow as strongly as expected.Lotus soon backtracked as well: in 2024, the brand officially revised its plans to become an all-electric marque by 2028. Instead, future models would also feature hybrid powertrains. To support this shift, the brand introduced its ‘Hyper Hybrid EV Technology’ at the Guangzhou Auto Show. A year and a half later, Lotus submitted its first plug-in hybrid, named ‘For Me,’ for homologation in China at the end of 2025, with deliveries now underway. This model is a PHEV variant of the previously all-electric SUV, the Eletre.So much for the background. In a recently presented strategy plan, Lotus has now clarified its targeted powertrain mix for the coming years. The Focus 2030 roadmap outlines the company’s goals until 2030 and explicitly promotes a ‘multi-powertrain strategy.’ Within its electrified portfolio, Lotus aims for 40 per cent battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and 60 per cent plug-in hybrids by 2030. Additionally, the company plans to continue producing internal combustion engine vehicles to an unspecified extent.Lotus stated: “As regulatory and consumer landscapes continue to evolve globally at different speeds, Lotus will pursue an agile approach across ICE (internal combustion engine), PHEV (hybrid electric vehicle), and BEV (battery electric vehicle), targeting an approximately 60:40 mix between PHEV and BEV volume mix over its electrified portfolio in the interim, and a customer-led transition to full electrification.”The new strategy plan thus places a strong emphasis on hybrid technology. The Eletre X, already available in China and featuring Lotus’s ‘X-Hybrid Technology,’ is set to reach the first customers in Europe in the fourth quarter of 2026.“Customer deliveries have started in China, and early vehicle reception has been positive, with more than 1,000 orders placed in the first month alone,” the company said.They also reinforced their commitment to hybridisation with a new flagship model: for 2028, Lotus’s management has announced the next evolution of its proprietary hybrid technology in the form of the Type 135 super sports car (also known as Vision X), featuring a V8 hybrid powertrain with over 735 kW (originally stated as over 1,000 PS). Production of the high-performance model is expected to take place in Europe.Lotus has not announced any new BEVs. For now, the line-up is likely to remain limited to the trio of the Eletre SUV, the Emeya GT, and the Evija hypercar. Nevertheless, the company emphasised: “Lotus’ BEV portfolio […] remains a core pillar of the business, having brought new customers to the marque and broadened its commercial foundation. Lotus was an early adopter of 800V architecture through its electric SUV and GT offerings and remains committed to continued BEV innovation.”Across all electrified technologies, Lotus is closely aligned with its parent company, Geely—and this collaboration is set to deepen further: “Lotus’ close collaboration with its major shareholder, Geely Holding Group, is central to Focus 2030. The two businesses are working together on technology development, supply-chain competitiveness, and manufacturing efficiencies to increase go-to-market speed, global scale, and margin resilience,” Lotus stated.The Geely Group (which includes Polestar, Volvo, and Zeekr) has also recently presented its own strategy plan for 2030. The company aims to sell over 6.5 million vehicles by the end of the decade, representing a 58 per cent increase compared to 2025. The share of New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) is expected to rise to 75 per cent by then.reuters.com, ir.group-lotus.com
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